WebSphere Application Server is complex and multifaceted middleware that is used by huge enterprises as well as small businesses. In addition, leading-edge products such as WebSphere Process Server, Extended Deployment, Commerce Server, and Portal Server are built on top of this powerful application server. In-depth understanding of the core functionality of the application server is key to success if you are planning on using any of these leading-edge products.

The authors of this book, all from the IBM WebSphere team, have done an excellent job covering the many facets of the software. They address all of the different packages from Express to Network Deployment so that no matter what size your company, you will be able to successfully implement WebSphere Application Server V6.

To demonstrate the steps involved in setting up a complete WebSphere Application Server installation, this book walks you through the configuration process for a highly available, workload-managed (HA/WLM), clustered environment built using the WebSphere V6 Network Deployment package. During the course of the book, you will learn how to assume all the responsibilities and roles required to implement this architecture, including setup of a standalone application server, IBM HTTP Server and the plug-in module using Base or Express packages, a multi-node/multi-profile environment with node federation, the HTTP Server distributed plug-in, clustering, HTTP session persistence, and more.

The book also covers topics that are critical to the ongoing implementation of an application server. The authors use their broad and in-depth knowledge to discuss Dynamic Caching, Security, Web Service Enablement, the Application Server Tool (AST) Kit, WebSphere Rapid Deployment (WRD), and more. WebSphere administrators and J2EE architects alike will find this book invaluable as they install and implement IBM's WebSphere Application Server V6.

Rama Turaga is an IBM Certified Consulting IT Specialist and a member of the IBM Software Services for WebSphere (ISSW) team based in Overland Park, Kansas. He has more than 17 years of experience in software design, development, performance tuning, architecting, administering, maintenance, and support.

Owen Cline is a member of the IBM Software Services for Websphere team based in San Diego, California. He has more than 20 years of experience in the software development field. Owen holds four software patents, has written IBM Redbooks, and has presented at multiple technical conferences.

Peter Van Sickel is a Consulting I/T Specialist member of the IBM Software Services for WebSphere (ISSW) team working as a J2EE and WebSphere Application Server specialist. He has 15 years of experience in distributed computing, most recently with WebSphere Application Server.

An Introduction to Web Application Development with IBM WebSphere Studio (Exam 285)

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